


Babies Left Unattended at Kingsman Will Be Given A Very Odd and Loving Family

by anarchycox



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha Merlin, Alpha Roxy, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Canon Typical Violence, Falling In Love, Found Family, Friendship, M/M, Minor Alpha/Beta/omega, Omega Eggsy Unwin, Questionable pasts, Temporary Child Abandonment, a very very loose three men and a baby au, domestic AU, frustrating parents, harry was not meant to babysit, kingsman is a tailor shop only, merlin and harry are best friends, merlin is surprisingly good with babies, roxy/eggsy one night stand, the abo is not a major part of the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:21:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22443250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anarchycox/pseuds/anarchycox
Summary: Alpha Roxy and Omega Eggsy had a hookup at a club one night, the sort of hookup that involved a bit of a whoopsy that Eggsy names Henry. When Henry is a few months old, Dean is pissed off and ready to explode, so while it breaks his heart, Eggsy can think of only one thing - get Henry to his alpha parent, they'll watch him for a few weeks while he gets square with Dean. It wasn't the best way to do it, he knows that, but he left his baby at Kingsman with a note and a bag.Only Roxy is away on a business trip.Which means that Merlin and Harry are the ones stuck watching a baby with no real clue what is going on. But they'll do their best.Unfinished and on indefinite hiatusHippie mothers, criminal fathers, suffering best friends, a baby with very nommable toes, and perhaps, just maybe some happy ever after.
Relationships: Merlin/Gary "Eggsy" Unwin
Comments: 302
Kudos: 510





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I said I was burned out on a/b/o and then a couple friends made a suggestion and whammo this story happened. 
> 
> As the tags say, this story is not about the a/b/o, more just happens to be set in an a/b/o universe. There won't be a huge emphasis on the dynamics, they are more background like colour of hair, what people are wearing sort of detail.

“Merlin, did you see the message from Roxy?”

“Fwar?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “It is 7:45, a very reasonable time to wake up, so please do wake up!”

“Fwhephw rpeafas.”

“I don’t care if you were up until 2am, she sent a very odd text, and I want your opinion. I will call again in 30 minutes. Be coherent.”

“Dself, asswqasd.”

“The last time I tried to suck my own dick we were 20, and I dislocated a hip. 30 minutes.” Harry poured out his tea, and ate bread with marmalade. He saw to his needs, and began to dress for work. 28 minutes after he had hung up, he heard Merlin let himself in downstairs. Harry finished his tie and smoothed the waistcoat - it was a three piece sort of day. Harry headed downstairs and saw Merlin in what he was sure were yesterday’s clothes, a bloody cronut clamped in his mouth, and to go coffee mug that could float one of her majesty’s battleships in it. “You work for a tailor.” Harry closed his eyes and hoped that the clothes would be better when he opened them. They were not.

“I work for a ponce,” Merlin said mouth full, and Harry knew Merlin did it just to annoy him. “And I’m not coming in today.”

“Roxy’s text!”

“She has sent five a day as she always does on business trips, what makes this one different?” He finished the cronut, and took an endless sip of coffee.

“ _Package is being delivered. Please trust me, and keep it with you at all times. I will explain later. Phone incident, communication hard, see you in 8 days._ ” Harry looked at him. “Tell me that doesn’t concern you. Her work is done in 5 days.”

Merlin laughed a bit. “Harry she is going on the pull, find herself a pretty American alpha to shag.”

“And the package?”

“Puzzling, but Roxy always has her reasons, and has yet to let us down.” Merlin just shrugged. “So keep the package with you at all times.”

“You keep the package.”

“Harry I said, I’m not coming in today. I have several important meetings, that cannot be delayed.”

Harry squinted at him. “What meetings?” Merlin often fabricated work. Maybe it was hard to tell honestly with all the pies Merlin had his fingers in.

“The meeting with the inside of my eyelids for the first, and then it is the quarterly meeting of your mother’s finances.”

Harry paled a bit. “Ahh.”

“Yes, so unless you would like to field the conversations about why you haven’t found a nice omega to settle down with, FROM YOUR OWN MOTHER, how about you be fine with the thought of me not coming into the office today?”

“I’ll cook your favourite dinner tonight.” Harry's mother was a bit of a trial on her good days.

“Fucking right you will. Your mother is fucking terrifying.” Merlin certainly didn't look terrified though. He looked just a calmly murderous as ever.

“Yes, but she loves you.”

“Harry she tried to offer me a quarter million pounds to marry you.”

“She doesn’t care for alpha-alpha unions.” Harry frowned at that. He had heard it from her regularly over the years.

“See, if you actually talked to her, you’d find out she’s grown as a person. Like a flower properly watered in the streams of acceptance. And yes those were her words. She thinks we’ve been partners for decades, and this has been your attempt to come out to her and she has been willfully blind. Harry, she had a bracelet made up in pride colours to show she supported us. It cost as much as your Jag.”

“Did you explain, I’d rather die than be your life partner?”

“No, I told her that we loved each other very much, and had a secret ceremony 20 years ago in Bermuda, and we’d love for her to throw us an anniversary party.”

“You did not,” Harry felt all the blood leave his head, and wished a fainting couch was close by. “Please, Merlin, I beg of you, tell me you are lying.” He had to be lying, he wouldn't do that to Harry. He just wouldn't.

“Of course I’m lying,” Merlin snorted. “I told her that I loved you very much, but the thought of being more than your friend and business partner made me want to vomit.”

Harry’s back immediately went up. “I am a catch.” He didn’t particularly want to be caught by anyone, but still it was the principle of it.

“Harry, you are many things, but not a catch. Now I am going up to have a nap in your guest room, and then deal with your mother, who I adore, but is the most batshit insane woman I know. And then I have to help Percival because he thinks his mechanic did something funny to his car and wants me to look at his engine, and then if I am lucky, I can actually check our online traffic. Now go to work and deal with whatever the fuck it is Roxy wants us to do.”

Merlin walked up and by Harry on the steps, and kissed his cheek. “Go to work.” He then headed up to the guest room that was practically his room.

Merlin had kept odd hours ever since they had left the military, and still had the habit of falling asleep whenever and wherever he wanted. Harry had no such skill and made sure that any place he would rest his head had a truly superior bed. He sent a quick text to a florist to send a large bouquet to his mother, reminding her not to eat Merlin alive or try to contact his deceased father again, and headed into the shop.

It was a lovely day out and Harry’s head was full of plans for some of the sample fabric they had just received from a potential new supplier. He was itching to compare the quality of the worsted wool. Andrew was already in, and prepping his station for the day. “Good morning, anything from Roxy yet?”

“No sir, nothing yet, though deliveries are often not this early.”

“When a package arrives from Roxy, please call me,” Harry said and went to the back room. He looked at the fabric samples and lay three out carefully. “What are you to be?” he asked the wool. He ran fingers over it, traced patterns, and pulled out his sketch book. He let the pencil just flow over the page, not worrying about what would appear. First he drew Merlin’s hands, because they carried so much, for all of them, more than Harry likely even realized and could never repay. But Merlin needed him as well, because Harry knew after the army, Merlin could never have settled into a ‘normal’ job. With Harry he had the security to go off and do whatever it was he did, and a place to centre himself.

He drew Roxy, since the confusion of this morning was all her fault. He adored Roxy, she was the perfect compliment to their friendship. A young, brash alpha, who had the world at her feet. Driven and she had walked in their door fresh out of uni, and swore she’d be an asset. They could scent the determination and just the smallest hint of fear under her bravery. They had remembered being that young and hired her. Never had they regretted it, especially when they found out she was distantly related to Percival, their favourite client and friend.

Finally the fabric spoke to him, and he sketched out some trousers and a waistcoast that was a close cut, but he thought it could be interesting. He’d have to work up new pattern paper for it. He put on the kettle he had in the back room and checked his phone. There was a text that the flower delivery had been delivered. He wasn't surprised when his mother's number popped up a few minutes later. He hit speak and put the phone down to continue to work. He knew he was not needed to participate in the conversation very much. His mother had received the flowers, and threatened to disinherit him for sending her yellow flowers when her aura was clearly in a blue mood. He barely listened as she rattled on. He adored her, but after his father’s death, she had taken a very deliberate turn into the eccentric, and she just overwhelmed him.

They loved each other so much, but it was difficult to talk. Luckily Merlin acted as an in between for them.

“Mother, I promise Merlin will be on time, whenever has he been late?” Harry said when she took a breath.

“Never, that poor Scottish boy, has good manners.”

“He is 52, and thanks to investments is hardly poor.”

“Darling really, all new money is poor money,” she sniffed a bit, as if her money wasn’t only 5 generations old. “You really should consider becoming life partners.”

“Mother, I don’t want a life partner. I am very much happy alone.” He was. He liked his friendships but the thought of someone always being there, relying on him as a true partner, made his blood run cold. “Mother, I am,” he took a deep breath. “I am uninterested in relationships. Period.” The phone was quiet. “Mother?”

“Oh darling, you just haven’t found the right person yet. Trust me, they’ll be along soon enough. Now, I am going to try to hook Merlin up with my secretary. I have a new one. The last one dear girl, just couldn’t hack it. Found her a lovely job. Bye darling. Thank you for the flowers, I can feel my aura shifting, and they match beautifully. I always knew you had a bit of psychic energy around you.”

Harry sighed a bit. She never quite listened to what he was actually saying. Maybe one day her personal palm reader would fill her in. Harry could pay her to say it, the charlatan would appreciate the pay bump. He took his cuppa to his desk and pulled out the pattern paper.

“Sir?”

“Yes?” Harry looked up. Andrew looked ill. “What’s wrong? Is it that bastard Charlie? I’ll ring the authorities.”

“No, I was just checking change room two, and when I returned I do believe Roxy’s package was dropped off.” He looked pained. “Sir, you need to see the package. I do not know what to do.”

Andrew never didn’t know what to do. Harry hurried out and there was a baby in a car seat on the sofa, but no obvious delivery box. “Where’s the package?”

The baby gurgled a bit. 

“That sir, I believe is the package.” Andrew handed him an envelope. “This was left on top of the diaper bag.”

“This isn’t from Roxy, it is for Roxy,” he looked at the writing on the envelope. Boxy print, hand had been shaking a little. It just said Roxy Morton on the front.

Harry would usually loathe to open someone else’s mail, but this was an odd circumstance.

_ Roxy, _

_ I know you won’t remember me, but I definitely fucking remember you, and you owe me. _

_ Three weeks. This is killing me, but if I don’t do it, it might kill him. _

_ Keep Henry safe. I’ll be back in three weeks. Just don’t, no cops. You owe me. _

_ Three weeks. _

_ He has your eyes, pretty alpha. _

_ Please, just please. _

_ Eggsy _

Harry read the note again trying to sort if there was any hidden code in the words but he couldn’t find one. “Andew?”

“Yes, sir?”

“I would rather appreciate you telling me I am currently hallucinating and having a psychotic break, and that there is no baby in the shop.”

“I cannot do that sir. It seems there is a baby named Henry right there.”

Harry bent down, and stared at the baby. “You do have Roxy’s eyes.” He got in close to observe them, and the child started to wail. “I broke it.” He reared back. “I broke a baby, Andrew.”

“I am calling Merlin, sir,” Andrew said swiftly.

“You’ll just be leaving him a message. My mother steals his phone during their meetings.” The baby kept crying. “How do we stop that racket?”

“Rock the seat,” Andrew suggested. 

Harry reached out and rocked the seat, and the wails eventually slowed and stopped. “Henry,” he said. “Hello.” The baby stared at him. “You really do have your alpha’s eyes.” He paused. “That is a line from something.”

“Harry Potter, sir.”

“Hmm,” Harry just stared at the baby. “What the fuck have you done, Roxy?”

If he had looked out the front window, Harry would have seen a young enough chav wipe away a few tears before hurrying from the shop. 

“Dean?” Eggsy said when he called. “All squared away. What do I got to do to get this right?” He would do whatever it took to not have Dean look at Henry the way he had a couple nights ago. He would do a job, get square with Dean and then go get Henry and run away to Wales or Australia or something. He would do whatever, for Henry.

His perfect boy. 

The scent of the distressed omega was so virulent that everyone was easily getting out of his way as he headed back to the estate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't expect updates this quick generally, i just had the next chapter ready to go :D

Merlin had his phone in one hand, a flask in the other, but he deserved a drink after dealing with Harry’s mother.

Apparently her crystals told her that Merlin was going to face great change in his life shortly, and he would know a happiness he couldn’t imagine. He asked if that meant the Gunners would have a winning season, and she threw one of her crystals at his head. They then talked dividends and investments, and charitable plans for two hours.

She was a nutter, but utterly ruthless when it came to the family money and name. They restructured a bit, and then he filled her in on how Harry was honestly doing, how the shop was, and yes how his own love life was, that he was just fine since Donall had broken up with him.

“This one was what 3 years?”

“Thereabouts,” he had agreed. He thought. He wasn't the best with dates and events in his own life.

“Your aura was never its true colour with him. Not like it is with my boy,” she had smiled, and raised her brow.

He had kissed her perfectly made up cheek. “Darling, you know your son will never mate, and you really should stop bothering him about it. You hurt him.”

“I just don’t want him alone.”

“He has Roxy and I, and a few other friends. He isn’t alone.”

“But it is so lovely to have someone in bed next to you,” she had protested. “And he is a dear.”

He had given her another kiss. “Consult your cards about him.”

“Ooh, I have a new deck, and it feels very like Harrison. Yes, thank you darling, buy yourself a treat from my accounts. Now off you go! Big changes afoot, I am sure of it.”

She said that every time they saw each other. He only needed one good hit from the flask when he left, which was the sign of a very good visit with Araminta, and was headed to the tube stop when he saw that he had not only several texts from the shop, but several voice mails. He really wished she didn't steal his phone during their meetings, but her manicure was always very pointy and he handed it over before she got too stabby.

All the messages were urging him to hurry to the shop, that there was an emergency. Harry wasn’t using the code for true emergency, but was sounding panicked. More concerning was that Andrew’s messages grew increasingly strained. 

Harry sounded panicked if his preferred pattern weight was missing.

Andrew never ever sounded strained.

He texted Percival that he had to go to the shop, and would be by to check on his car later. His mind sorted through the possibilities and all he could come up with was that Charlie had stopped by again to make their lives miserable. 

He lightly jogged down the street after he left the station, and paused at their window. He could swear he heard a baby screaming. Merlin went into the shop, which had a closed for the day sign up. They never closed unexpectedly. He was now truly concerned. 

There was a small blue elephant stuffed animal on the sofa in the shop room, and a tiny shoe on the steps upstairs. He picked up both and followed the sound of rather thoroughly despondent baby. 

Years ago, Harry had converted above the shop into a flat, instead of storage and meeting rooms. All three alphas, Harry, Merlin, and Roxy, kept weird hours and it had made sense to have a place to rest. Any one of the three, and often all of them crashed up there. Harry bought excellent beds, and it was always stocked with coffee. Merlin stepped into the private space and there was Harry holding a screaming baby. Andrew had a bottle in hand but every time he moved it close, the baby swatted at him.

Merlin held up the little elephant he had found, and the cries stopped almost instantly.

“Andrew,” Harry sounded more frazzled than they had when they had been trapped under enemy fire for 36 hours. “Add it to the board. The elephant must be attached to Henry at all times.”

The whiteboard that was usually in Harry’s workroom, keeping track of appointments had been moved into the flat. It was half filled. Andrew had neatly been making notes, one side information about ‘Henry’ and the other things they needed to purchase.

“Harry, why are you holding a Henry?” Merlin kept his voice, calm soothing - more for Harry than the baby. 

“It was dropped off for Roxy,” Harry said in a sing song voice. “She seems to have had a whoopsy daisy a while back.”

Merlin frowned. “She doesn’t fuck omegas.”

“Apparently she did,” Harry’s smile was very strained, and Merlin could see he was hanging on by a thread. “Because this was left in the shop, begging her to look after her child for three weeks.”

“A con, she doesn’t fuck omegas,” Merlin repeated.

Harry came closer, and held the baby close to Merlin’s face. “Take a look at those eyes, and tell me this isn’t fucking Roxy’s baby.”

“Bugger,” Merlin groaned, and automatically took the baby when it was thrust into his arms. It immediately threw up on him. “You best be fucking telling me that is a coincidence, and that you had no idea it was going to blow.” They all heard the tremendous gas that came from the baby’s arse, and it was soon followed by a horrid smell. “Harry.” Merlin gave Harry a flat look, that he knew had caused other men to piss their pants, and Harry was not reacting at all - he never had.

“I’ve already changed it twice!”

“How did you manage that? You hate mess.” Merlin was honestly a little impressed.

“We looked it up on wikihow. It really is as you assume it is. We are using the kitchen table. It seems that it is old enough to squirm, and young enough not to really go anywhere. But still, one adult braces, ready to catch the child. One cleans. I will brace - you will clean.”

Merlin took the child to the table, and there was a diaper bag there. “At least it was dropped off with supplies.”

“And some information. It is about four months old. Bottles of formula and starting on goo.”

Merlin undid the clothes, and somehow the hideous smell grew stronger. “Fucking hell, I’ve smelled a gangrenous limb and decomposing bodies - they were not this bad.”

“I know,” Harry shuddered a little, but was clearly ready to catch the child if it started to move too much. “Also be careful when you open the diaper. Fresh air does things to the child’s bladder.”

Merlin looked at Harry who was down to his shirtsleeves. “On your jacket.”

“Hmm,” was all Harry said.

Merlin cautiously opened the diaper, and the baby babbled. “Well thank you for understanding I am pretty new to this. I will do my best.” More babble. “Yes thank you, I have figured out I have to wipe all the shit that came out of your arse.”

“What are you doing?” 

“Talking to the bairn.” Merlin rolled his eyes a bit. “Haven’t you?”

“Not like that,” Harry said. He slumped a little. “Mostly offering it a lorry full of stuffed animals if it just stopped crying.”

“Harry, the omega won’t be coming back. This is an abandoned baby. We need to contact the authorities,” Merlin said softly. He took the wipes that Harry handed him, and cleaned the just completely appalling mess. “It needs new clothes.”

“There were spare.” Harry pulled out another sleeper. “Merlin, the note swore he was coming back. Also, I will not comment on the irony of you of all people, being the one to suggest contacting the authorities.”

Merlin blinked at the pronoun he. “Harry, Roxy mostly fucks women.”

“I know, believe me we will be having a conversation. I have left her several messages and emails and am debating sending a carrier pigeon but I don’t think it will cross the ocean.”

The baby was clean and the diaper was a touch crooked but on. Merlin snapped the baby into the new sleeper. “There you go, wee one.”

“Why are you so good with a baby? You’ve never held a baby.”

“I have,” Merlin protested. “Conrad, 12 or so years ago? He had a baby. I met it twice, and you know my muscle memory.” Merlin performed a task once, and he’d be able to do it forever, it was just a quirk of his brain. He hadn’t touched a gun in over 20 years but he could probably field strip a rifle in the same time that had won him medals back in the day. He picked up the child. “Now then, I think they are still supposed to sleep lots at this age. Has it been down for a nap yet?”

“No.”

“Okay, so bottle and we hope it passes out, and then we figure out what the fuck is going on?” Merlin looked at Harry. “You are sure the omega is coming back?” Harry showed him the note. “They didn’t want to do this.” Merlin could see the desperation in every pen stroke.

“I know. The baby is very well cared for,” Harry said. “Do we try to find them?”

“We have what is either a fake name, or at least a nickname. Roxy is our only hope of sorting that out.”

“We could call the authorities like you suggested?”

“No we couldn’t,” Merlin said and Harry nodded. They couldn’t, they understood desperation well enough, and until Roxy got in touch or returned this was their problem. Andrew handed Merlin a fresh bottle, and the baby drank about half and then drifted off. Merlin put him on the blanket that was on the ground of the living room. It also had elephants. “Henry, yes?”

“That is what the note said.” Harry looked at the child. “What the fuck are we going to do, Merlin?”

“Well, we need to spend about a thousand quid on food, diapers, something it can sleep in. Some stimulation? I don’t know. We have the list you started and we can look it up. This Eggsy is asking a lot of us.”

“What wouldn’t we do for Roxy?” Harry countered.

Merlin had to admit he had a point. “It can’t fit in my flat, I barely fit in my flat.” Merlin had a small studio flat, because he was so seldom home that it had never felt worth living in a larger space. It met his needs well enough and he spent more nights above the shop anyways. “You have 2 guest rooms.”

Harry shook his head. “Merlin, babies take up space, and are so messy. I can’t. I just can’t.”

“I figured,” Merlin said. Harry let him in his space, but more than that was difficult for Harry. “So here then. We both have clothes in the closet, the spare room is mostly empty, we could set it up for the babe.”

“That is what I thought. Andrew, now that Merlin is here, please do take the rest of the day for yourself.”

“I’ll stop at the store, sir, and see that a delivery of diapers and formula is sent over,” Andrew gave them a nod and hurried out.

“He is a handsome baby?” Merlin thought maybe. Looked healthy, chubby cheeks, wispy blond hair. Roxy’s eyes. “Past the looks like an alien stage.”

“Still in the Winston Churchill phase though.”

Merlin snorted a bit. “Are there two less suited to taking care of a baby than us?”

“Roxy,” Harry offered.

“Harry, is this the package she meant?”

“It must be.”

“I am angry that she didn’t say it was a living being. I know she dislikes children, but that is cruel. To the baby, and to us. She is many things, but seldom cruel.”

“I know. This is a fucking mess.” Harry looked at him. “But, we will do this right?”

“Of course we will,” Merlin said. “We could call your mother. She raised you, and you are an almost sort of a functioning human being.”

“Do you want to answer the questions she would have about this?”

“No, I do not,” Merlin said firmly after the barest of thought. “Fucking hell. I’ll start reading parenting web pages for intel. You find a baby shop that will deliver some sort of sleep location. And whatever else we need.”

“This will go poorly.”

“Of course it will,” Merlin replied, and settled into research.


	3. Chapter 3

Eggsy was behind the wheel of the car, waiting for Dean’s boys to finish what they were doing. He was pretty sure they were going to cock it up, because add the four together and maybe there were two functioning brain cells. Sure, Dean had planned this and he went all the way up to three brain cells, but still. This was a risky job, mainly because it weren’t Dean’s territory.

Apparently though, the other guv had disrespected Dean and now they were showing what was what. And bottom line, they liked to own flash cars but they drove for shit in comparison to Eggsy. They were to be back in 3 minutes. He had told them if they were longer than five even he couldn’t out drive the patrol that’d be going through the warehouse district. So he figured they’d be six minutes, just to get him in shit again with Dean.

He unlocked his phone and went to his photos and swiped through a bunch of Henry. He smiled as he looked at them, because sorry everyone, the most perfect baby had been born and it was his kid. Fuck he hoped that Roxy looked after him. She had been real nice at the club, and a good fuck. He had stolen her wallet more from habit than anything when they had left the bog, and two months later when he was throwing up he was glad he had, because he had a name to look up.

She was some sort of weird job at a tailor’s. The super posh sort, which he supposed explained the trousers and waistcoat she had worn - not a thing under either at the club. But it was a vague, buyer, model, social media sort of job, that made no real sense to him. It was her and these two older blokes in front of the shop in a photo, all wearing different suits but all made in house. The tagline had been,  _ because every alpha is their own cut, so too are our suits _ . He had been ready to dismiss them as the usual posh sort of wankers, but the next photo had been more people in suits with the same tag line for beta and for omega, so maybe they weren’t complete garbage.

But he had done some digging and couldn’t find any personal personal information on her, and he was pretty good at finding stuff out. When Dean had threatened him, while Mum was away with Daisy visiting family, he could think only one thing. Alphas are supposed to protect their kids, and Roxy could protect Henry for him, for just a little bit. He looked at the photo his mum had taken, he and Henry on the ground for tummy time, staring at each other and smiling. He loved that photo. He would have scrolled more, but he heard running footsteps. 

He saw the gang coming, and pushed the side door open. They all piled in, with ten seconds to spare. Eggsy tore off, ignoring the route Dean had told him, and taking the one he had mapped out himself.

“Oi! This isn’t the route.”

“No it ain’t bruv, but plus side, it is the route that will keep us out of jail.” Eggsy glanced back at them. “Know you wanted to get me in trouble with Dean because well you ain’t got nothing else going on, but not happening today.” Eggsy drove hard and fast, and avoided all the security patrols that were out and about and they were back at the Black Prince right on time. “Sorry, looks like we pulled it off.”

“I could pull you off, or better you could pull me off,” Poodle suggested as he leered, and tried to overwhelm Eggsy with his scent. “Even put in a good word for you with Dean. Now that you don’t have that kid attached to you, you ain’t completely ugly, Eggsy.”

When he leaned forward, Eggsy held a switchblade to his throat. “Try a fucking thing, and you lose your balls. Dean has precisely two limits where I am concerned, and that is one of them.” Dean was a complete shit, but had a weird hang up about prostitution and matings. You couldn’t be a real alpha if you bought it or forced it. If you couldn’t woo, you weren’t worth shit to Dean. Eggsy didn’t quite get why that was a line for Dean, but he’d use it to his advantage. “I’m saying never in a million years. Do I need to tell Dean about this?”

Poodle growled, and Eggsy snarled back. “Fucking try me, bruv.”

“He ain’t worth it,” Rottie said. “Let’s get the goods to Dean.”

Eggsy followed them into the pub and sat at the bar. He heard Dean talking to his boys and ignored it for a pint. He thought this had to pay some of the debt, that Dean was claiming he was due, but he had a feeling they were just getting started.

“Boys tell me you didn’t follow my directions Muggsy, thought we were done playing games.”

“Tell your boys when they have a three minute window that means three minute window,” Eggsy replied voice level, scent carefully repressed. He wanted to appear as calm as he could be. “I stuck with the route, we would have been caught or had to kill a bloke, and dealing with a body gets a bit messy, don’t it?”

Dean nodded. “Using your brain, not bad. I figure you owe 5 thousand quid, Muggsy.”

“How? Henry were using mostly stuff Daisy had outgrown!” Eggsy stared at him, furious, because that was utter bullshit. “No fucking way have I cost you that much.”

“Lost revenue from not working, on top of diapers and formula,” Dean clapped a hand on his shoulder, and his fingers dug in leaving a bruise. “Plus your kid was a screamer those first couple months.”

“He was a baby, of course he screamed bloody murder.” Eggsy stood up, and looked Dean square in the eye. “We square the 5,000 are we square?”

Dean snorted. “Interest too, Muggsy. But you know, I am feeling generous. Oi! Bernie, grab me a pen.” The bartender pulled one out from his pocket. Dean grabbed a cocktail napkin. _“I Dean Baker swear Eggsy pays me back 8,000 pounds for interest and lost income, he is free and clear of me. He and his bastard brat at that time move out, and I forget they even ever existed at all_.” He signed the back of the napkin. “Isn’t that generous of me, Muggsy? We get square and it is almost like you and your whelp never even existed at all.” He held the pen out and Eggsy took it. Eggsy signed quickly.

“Now let me guess, this is going to magically disappear?”

Dean handed it to the bartender. “I’m an alpha of his word Eggsy. In the end, it’s all we got isn’t it?”

Eggsy watched the bartender put it in his pocket. “So how much did tonight pay off?”

Dean laughed at him. “Signed that after the job didn’t we? Tonight was just a gift to show me how serious you are about all this. Thank you, Muggsy, I appreciate that.” 

He went back to his crew, and Eggsy left without finishing his beer. He went to Jamal’s flat in the block, and knocked on the door. Jamal took one look at him and pulled him inside.

They went to Jamal’s room and Jamal big spooned him on the bed, because Jamal was the best friend a guy could ask for. “You can do this,” Jamal swore. “Ain’t no one tougher than you. Or as clever.”

“Henry would be needing a bottle about now.”

“He’s getting it I am sure. Posh alphas always make sure their kids are looked after. Wouldn’t want to ruin the name.”

“What if they call the filth?”

“And admit they got one of our sort knocked up at a bar they were slumming it at?”

“Guess that stick up their arses has to have some benefits.” Eggsy was quiet. “Dean swears I pay him back, he’ll let us go.”

“Believe him?”

“Have to, otherwise, I’m up shit’s creek.”

“Staying here tonight?” Eggsy nodded. “I’ll make you a cuppa.”

“Thanks, mate.” Eggsy lay in Jamal’s bed and stared at the ceiling. Fuck he hoped that they found the thumb drive he had put in the bag of him singing. Henry would fight sleep if he didn’t hear Eggsy singing. He had forgotten to put that in the note.

He turned his phone on and watched the video of Henry rolling over for the first time last week.

Across an ocean, Roxy was at a bar, chatting up a very attractive alpha. Ginger was well fit, and Roxy was looking forward to them in bed. She hoped that Harry and Merlin had secured the watch she had sent them; she had dropped her phone and it had been broken enough that it didn’t start up again, and she maybe had gone to the wrong porn webpage and fucked her computer. But nothing ever really changed at the shop, they’d be fine without communication for a few days. They could leave a message with the hotel if it was really bad. Not that she even cared, with what Ginger was promising to do to her.

The boys would be just fine.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry knew he had not lead a blameless life. He had done wrong, had sinned. He had killed for Queen and Country and to this day questioned whether that had been right and just, and usually came down that it wasn’t. He had acted in the casual cruelty of privilege in his youth, and there were many he owed apologies to, many who should never forgive them.

But for all the wrong he had done in 53 years of life, none of it could have earned the fucking hellscape torture that he was currently living through.

“Why won’t it sleep?” Harry was close to weeping. After the baby had that nap and woke to see them and not his parent, he had started to fuss and had not stopped. Nothing they did soothed the baby, and it was now 2am, and somehow it had not cried itself out. If they had neighbours they would have called in a noise complaint by now. Harry had not been awake at 2am in at least a decade. He did not care for it, to say the least.

“Harry it is obvious,” Merlin snapped and the baby’s wails grew louder. Harry could hear the string of invectives currently streaming through Merlin’s mind. “It is obvious!” Merlin’s voice did a sing song happy tone that disturbed Harry, but it brought the wails down to a painful decibel instead of shattering one. “He is missing his primary care giver. We smell weird, don’t we?” He was trying to sound chipper and it was just wrong.

“Stop talking like that, you sound like a children’s presenter who is going to snap and murder the mail carrier.”

“My normal voice makes him scream, so how about you fuck off and go get some sleep. I am fine.” It was all still in that cheerful tone. 

Harry shook his head. “I didn’t leave you in Afghanistan, and I’ll not leave you now.” Harry looked at the baby. “He is very loved isn’t he? If his omega didn’t care, he wouldn’t be so despondent.”

“Aye,” Merlin agreed. “And there is nothing in the note about what to do, if a demon takes over the baby?”

Harry read the instruction note for the 8th time. “Nope, no instructions for demonic possession.”

“Here hold the baby,” Merlin thrust the child at him, and Harry took it automatically. The child screamed more, they had found that it preferred Merlin, and Merlin had been walking and rocking him for hours. “Jesus, Harry, relax your shoulders and hold him next to your heart.” Harry did so, and the child spit up on him. 

Harry closed his eyes. “Merlin.”

“Just strip the shirt off, and hold him against your skin.”

“I would have to put him down for that,” Harry warned. They both took a deep breath and Harry put him down. The wail that came from the baby hurt their souls, sliced into their brains, and sent their adrenaline spiking. Every alpha instinct started screaming to protect, to go to war, but they had to tamp it down, because the baby hated when their scents rose. God bless military training for scent control. Harry did not care about the shirt at this point and just tore it off his body and figured the child would just throw up on his vest too, so that came off as well. He then picked up Henry, and held him against his chest.

The both blinked as for a moment there was silence. It wasn’t quite silent, their ears were ringing from the constant hours of crying, but still Henry was too busy sniffing Harry’s skin to cry. “What do I do?”

“Don’t fucking move,” Merlin whispered. He pulled a pocket knife out, and went over to the diaper bag and began to slit it open.

“What the fuck?” Harry stared at him in shock. “I know we are right now confused, but that seems excessive.”

“We are missing something. The parent was too thorough. This Eggsy would have accounted for this.” Merlin was ripping it all apart as Henry kept sniffing. “Try him at your neck.”

Harry lifted the baby up a bit more, and when it nuzzled, it reared away and started to cry again. “My alpha scent displeases him.”

“To be fair, it just might be the gin that oozes from your pores.”

“Sandy, this is not the time for us to fight. This is the time for us to band together against a mutual enemy. But if you continue to snark at me, I will murder you.”

“You know my name is off limits,” Merlin glared at him, and Harry was unrepentant at using Merlin’s Christian named that he loathed so much. “And you won’t murder me, because then you’d be alone with the baby until Roxy returned, and I am pretty sure she will be even worse with Henry than us.”

“She is his alpha, surely instinct -”

“What in Roxy at all suggests she has a parenting instinct?” Merlin looked up from his destruction. “Harry, if she had found the baby, she would have ignored the note and called the authorities.”

“It is a logical course of action,” Harry had to admit. He was tired and his surety in the note begging them to keep the baby safe was waning.

“Harrison, fuck the police.”

Harry smiled a bit at that. Henry had started to wail again. He offered the baby the dummy that had a little plastic mustache on the front, and it was spit out with impressive strength. He crouched to pick it up and paused. “What’s that?”

He pointed, and Merlin fished out the thumb drive from among the torn fabric. “I have a burner laptop in case it is malicious.”

“Yes, because this has all been a ploy, to hack into our systems or corrupt our files.” Harry stood back up, and began to pace with the baby. “I am sorry that we are not good at this,” he told Henry.

Merlin disappeared and returned with an old laptop that he had to hit the side of to get working. Harry kept pacing, watched as he plugged the stick in. “Files,” Merlin said. “Media ones.” He opened one and a smooth voice starting pouring out the garbage laptop speakers. Harry thought he recognized the song. “Is that from My Fair Lady?”

“I don’t know,” Merlin shrugged. “There are a dozen files. Two are video.”

“Open one,” Harry insisted. He moved closer, and sat next to Merlin.

Merlin tapped, and Henry let out the happiest noise that they had heard from him.

“Hey, Sprocket, you being good for your alpha? I know you are, because you are the best baby there ever was. Yes you are, my perfect boy. Henry, Da loves you so much, and he’ll see you soon okay? I miss your toes so much, but bet your alpha will kiss them, who can resist your toes? Daddy loves you, Sprocket, and it is okay, and I’ll see you soon. Ready for your letters?”

They were shocked when the baby babbled excitedly, and they watched the baby’s omega hold up a book and read it. “Sorry I didn’t send the book with you, but keeping it close yeah, until I can read it again to you in person. Smells like you, Henry. Soon, Sprocket. I’ll see you soon.” Eggsy’s face grew serious. “Promise, Roxy, just a few weeks, and I’ll take our kid away, and you’ll never hear from us. Never want nothing from you but this.” The video ended, and Henry reached for the screen.

Merlin put on one of the audio files and took Henry back. Harry sat by the computer, and hit play on every file as Merlin rocked him.

Four songs, and Henry was asleep drooling on Merlin. Merlin carefully eased him into the portable crib that one of those mysterious people that Merlin knew had delivered at 9. Henry stayed asleep and they sneaked out of the room to the kitchen.

Harry had no fucks to give, and took a hard slug out of a bottle of gin. “We won’t survive.”

“He had a beautiful singing voice,” Merlin said and went into the fridge for a beer.

“It was alright.”

“More than,” Merlin countered. “And he loves, it was pouring out of him. Way it does from your Mum when she talks about you.”

“I saw.” His mother might be insane, but she there was no doubt of her heart. And it seemed that this Eggsy had a similar one. “Do you have some dubious forgery contacts?”

Merlin grinned. “Now Harry, you know I am never involved in anything untoward. I’m your business manager.” Harry just drank more gin. “I know a person or two,” Merlin said after a moment.

“Can you have them make something official looking, granting temporary custody and authority to the child’s...godparents?”

“Roxy is the parents, we don’t need that do we?”

“Do you see Roxy anywhere here?”

“We can have something tomorrow afternoon, if I head out now.”

“And leave me alone with the baby?”

“Look, I can’t exactly ring the bloke up, and say hey I need this. These matters need to be handled in person. So either we get bullshit cover our arses paperwork, or you get company with a sleeping baby.”

“Go,” Harry said. Merlin kissed his cheek, as he always did goodbye, because Merlin was the superstitious sort, and one drunken kiss 35 years ago he insisted saved their lives, so when they parted he always kissed Harry’s cheek. Harry found pajamas bottoms and his robe and put them on. He did not trust that that travel crib was quite the safest so decided to sleep on the living room couch just in case.

The quiet was very pleasant and Harry fell asleep quickly, praying that this wasn’t just a one hour nap for Henry.


	5. Chapter 5

Despite what Harry sometimes suggested when he was annoyed, Merlin wasn’t a criminal. Which Harry damn well knew, since Merlin was his business manager. All his taxes and paperwork that existed in the world were very clear, Sandy Webster, business manager, Kingsman Tailors. He paid his parking tickets, had never been questioned by the police for anything he had personally done. 

Ergo, he wasn’t a criminal.

But...

He did do interesting things sometimes, which were perhaps of a questionable nature, and those things sometimes came with interesting people.

Who absolutely were criminals.

He didn’t like to judge.

Mainly because his parents had been criminals.

And his grandparents.

And great grandparents.

And almost every cousin or aunt or uncle he had ever heard tell of; he was pretty sure he was one of 3 Websters in the last six hundred years to not be a criminal.  Him being 85% in compliance of the law was a disappointment to everyone. The family barely spoke to him, prayed for him to search his heart and enter a life of honest crime.

The reason he handled Harry’s mother as well as he did, was because she just sent you tarot readings, not lock picks.

Though the set Auntie Blair had sent last year had come in handy a couple times. 

But again, not a criminal. It was just that his family was so well respected across the whole of the UK for their criminal exploits and lack of corresponding jail time, that when he needed a favour from criminals it was easily achieved. He didn’t play on his name a lot, because then people might have expectations of him. Ones he did not particularly want to meet. He just occasionally did favours for people, who paid him in return favours or cash. He would bartend or bounce for James at one of his establishments. Fix Percival’s car, and actually had an excellent sideline breaking into businesses to check their security. Those were among his entirely legitimate jobs, along with being the business manager for the shop. And sometimes there were other jobs, ones that he never told Harry the details about. Family expectations declared that his 3% criminal behaviour was unacceptable, so that was proof he wasn't a criminal.

All in all, he wasn’t completely wasting ‘the lightest fingers in three generations’ as his Da had once said. And right now those light fingers were giving Henry a bath, because no matter how they changed him carefully, after three days they couldn’t smell that happy baby scent, just wee and spit up.

Harry had taken one look at the baby bath tub and had hurriedly run out to purchase more diapers and little puree packs. Said something about Henry being difficult to hold dry, and wet would be impossible. Merlin just figured that Harry had read the links he had sent about how the warm water was likely to make a baby take a shit in the tub.

It was why Merlin had bought two. He put a couple towels on the floor of the bathroom and filled both tubs according to the directions, tepid water, 2/3rds the way up. He then went and got Henry from the portable crib where he was chewing on that poor stuffed elephant. “Henry, elephants are not food,” Merlin said and pulled it from his mouth. “And please do not start teething yet, we are barely sleeping as it is.” They were hanging on by a very gossamer thread. 

He took Henry to the bathroom and stripped him down. The baby went into the first tub and sure enough, made that particular face they had learned and lived in fear of, and then smiled as his poop filled the tub. Merlin cleaned him off and put him in the other tub. “And the lady thought I was mad for getting two of these. It was just logical.” He dumped the gross tub into the bath and ran water, doing his better never to take his eyes of off Henry who was happily lying against the sloped back and kicking his feet. He could properly wash the first tub later, but the worst had gone down the drain.

Merlin sat in front of the wee bathtub, legs on either side of it. He was getting splashed a fair bit, but he didn’t mind. He put a bit of baby soap on a flannel and washed Henry carefully. He scrubbed a foot and when it was rinsed, kissed the toes. Merlin jolted back at the huge belly laugh that came out of Henry. It was the happiest he had sounded since his arrival. Merlin blew a rasberry against foot, and there was the joyful noise again, and Henry splashing like crazy. The tub was half full at this point, water all over the floor and Merlin. Merlin finished cleaning Henry and wrapped him in a hooded towel that had bear ears. He left the huge mess for later, and they went to the living room. Henry was put in a diaper and onesie.

Merlin had to do it again. Curious if there would be the same reaction out of the bath. He picked up Henry’s foot, and brought it to his lips. “Nom nom nom nom,” he grumbled against the toes and the giggles just poured out of Henry. “So that’s why Eggsy kisses your toes,” he said. They were ticklish. He smiled as Henry held up his foot, and Merlin immediately blew another rasberry. They kept playing until Henry laughed so hard, that he rolled himself over. 

He and apparently Harry hadn’t seen that happen before.

Henry had stopped laughing and the silence that fell on the room was terrifying. “Henry?” Merlin asked, and Henry sort of flailed his arms and legs. “You got yourself on tummy time?” He had read a great deal about tummy time and they were doing it, but this was new.

And when Henry began to scream, Merlin figured it was not a good new. He rolled Henry back over and began nomming toes again. It didn’t take long for the screams to switch to giggles again. 

“You need a bottle and nap, sir,” Merlin told him and picked him up. He made the bottle and settled on the sofa. He put the songs on again, and listened to Eggsy sing. “Your Da has an incredible voice,” Merlin found it just as soothing as Henry did. “He loves you, Henry.” He burped Henry when he pushed the bottle away and danced them around the living room slowly until Henry fell asleep. He put him in the crib and left the music playing - they had learned the hard way not to turn it off when Henry went to sleep. He turned it low and made sure it was set to loop.

Harry was sick of the songs, but Merlin wasn’t. He went to the kitchen, and just let himself think. His parents taught him a lot of things they shouldn’t have, but one thing he had to give them credit for was how they taught him to think around corners. Merlin sat at the table with a cup of long abandoned coffee, and let his mind wander through the problem until it arrived at a conclusion. “Bugger,” he groaned and hit four in his contacts. “Hey, Dad,” he said.

“Sandy!” the voice was cheerful, but his father was a cheerful man. Being a truly successful con artist does that to you. “How are you boyo?”

“Bit of a pickle, Da.”

There was a gasp of joy. “An illegal pickle?”

“No,” Merlin said firmly. “Well, mostly no. Some light forgery of documentation, and maybe aiding and abetting child abandonment? Though I feel like we are baby sitting so it covers that fine.” Merlin paused. “But, Dad? I might need to do something illegal, and kind of need your advice.”

“That better be the phone your Uncle Danny made secure,” he warned. “Never make calls like these on -”

“I secured it Dad, better than Uncle Danny’s work any day,” Merlin said. “Fuck, I shouldn’t have actually said that.” His pride in his work momentarily distracted him, made him forget how his father would take it. “Da, do not get excited, it was a thing I did, that technically helped law enforcement.” He had to hold the phone away from his ear for a good minute while he father cursed. “Da! MI-6 paid me a fortune for it. I charged them triple what I should have, if that helps any.”

“Your blessed mother, may her kind omega heart rest in peace -”

“Kind?” Merlin rolled his eyes. “Da, she once threw a molotov cocktail at her own parents.”

“They stiffed us our 20%, and we are not getting sidetracked. Your mother is rolling over in her grave, that you help the law like that.”

“I didn’t give them everything I could do,” Merlin muttered, chastised as if he was 8 again. He then remembered that he was a goddamn strong alpha and growled a little bit. “Look Da, I’m happy not being a criminal, I’m occasionally morally grey, can’t you just be happy with that?”

“It is my burden to bear, and I pray every week you’ll see the light and use your god given talents for their intended purpose. Cracking into banks.”

Merlin ignored that as he did every time they talked. Which was at least once a week, because he loved his father something fierce, and knew that his father loved him. “Da, I need to find someone on the down low and all I have is a nickname, voice, and face, and while I have contacts that could find him, they are involved in the law, and I need the law nowhere near this.”

“Now, we’re talking, my boy. Now we are talking. Why do you need to find him?”

“Webster gut,” Merlin had to admit. He liked to pretend the ‘legendary Webster gut’ was bullshit, but yeah he got the feeling sometimes. And that feeling was telling him, they couldn’t wait for Eggsy to come get Henry. 

“You need me?” The cheerfulness was gone from his dad’s voice. It was flat, calm, and if Merlin had to guess his dad was smelling dangerous. His mum had been the muscle and his Da the con, but that didn't mean his father wouldn't cut someone hard for messing with the family.

“For advice, not in person.”

“I know a guy who can help you. Who’s your forger?”

“Jonesy Jones,” Merlin said.

“Fucking hell, he is good." His father was impressed and that made Merlin a little happy, until he remembered this wasn't supposed to be the sort of thing that made him happy. "Okay you go to him, and say you need to talk to the Eyes of Brixton. Tell Brix this would square he and I.”

“Da,” Merlin felt loved. “You’d cash in a debt for me?”

“Oh, my boy, my dear Sandy, I’ll never understand your life choices, but I love you. Course I’m going to help you.”

“I’ll send Uncle Danny my specs, make the family’s phones uncrackable by any agency that has MI in the title.”

“I love you, Sandy.”

“Love you, Da,” Merlin said. He heard a wail. “Have to go. Bye.”

“I heard a baby!”

“No, you didn’t, bye.” Merlin hung up. God the family were going to be getting their hopes up, this was going to be trouble, but his gut was screaming at him, that they needed to find Henry’s father. 

Soon.

The Webster gut was never, ever wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry stood on the doorstep of a house that had been standing for a few hundred years. Their name was carved into the stone. He loved and hated the house.  It carried scents in its walls, history that was too heavy for him to carry. Last of the line and he was going to do nothing to keep it moving forward. He wondered how his mother didn’t hate him for that.

Though the amount of weed she did probably kept her pretty mellow. He held a small box in his hand, and knocked on the door.

“Mr. Hart, sir, always a pleasure to see you,” the butler greeted him.

“Hello Roberts. What is the mood today?” 

“Her morning reading went well,” Roberts said. “And her mood always improves during your increasingly rare visits.” There was a raised eyebrow, and pointed stare with that sentence.

“Merlin just saw her.” 

“Yes, your best friend is a good man, but he isn’t exactly her only child is he?” Roberts continued giving him that look. “She is in the yellow parlour.”

Harry nodded, and went down the hall. He could hear the piano. He went quietly into the room, and settled in to listen. Her fingers weren’t as sure as they had been when he was a child. But she hadn’t played for a decade after his father died, and only rarely in the last five years. But it was still lovely, better than most could have done. “I have your hands,” Harry realized out loud.

“Your father had appallingly short fingers, could barely reach my g-spot, unlike that lovely man in San Juan.” She kept playing, it was a soft song, which tickled at memories of bedtime, hearing the piano play as he drifted off to sleep.

“You mean the cult leader you spent a winter with?” Harry had been ready to use Merlin’s family connections to get his mother out of that situation, but she had extricated herself with barely a penny lost.

“Hmmm, he was really quite nice.”

“He was trying to steal all your money.”

“Darling, you might think me a fool, but he would never have had a bob from me, aside from the fact that his aura was muddy, any man who pays that much for his cocaine that isn’t even remotely pure is not to be trusted with money.” 

“I don’t know which point in there to address,” Harry said after a moment.

“Don’t address any if you don’t want.” She finished the song, and came to sit across from him. “Shall I ring for tea?”

“No, thank you.”

She was watching him carefully and picked up her phone, texted quickly. A few minutes later a servant brought in a martini pitcher and two chilled glasses. She poured them out and handed him one.

“It is 9am,” Harry protested.

She raised her glass. “Darling, a classic martini exists outside of time, and can be enjoyed whenever.” She took a sip.

Harry did as well, and smiled at the taste. “You know Merlin says why bother calling it a martini at all.” It was just pure gin.

“Because the vermouth got close enough to make it count. Why are you here, darling?”

“I brought you this.” Harry held out the box to her. “I saw it a while ago and thought of you.”

She took the box. “I am sure it is lovely.”

“No, Mama, this is different,” he promised her. “This isn’t...it’s different.”

She opened the box and stared inside. “Harrison.”

“I don’t think you are a fool,” he looked at his mother, and she was so beautiful, even still. He remembered being a child and thinking she was a fairy princess. Now she was a queen. “It is sodalite. Good for...I cannot remember. I was in the Notting Hill markets, looking for tie pins, and there was a stall of crystals.”

“You think it is stuff and nonsense.”

“You don’t, and that one...the blues in it reminded me of your eyes,” he shrugged a bit. “I thought you might like it.”

“I do,” she touched the stone. “Oh it has lovely energy, darling.” She had closed her eyes and was stroking the round disc. “Yes, this is just lovely.”

“I am glad.” Harry took a deep breath. “Mama, I am never going to mate, or have a child. And I am sorry that I am a disappointment to you and the family name. But I am honestly happy alone. Nothing ever happened, I was never hurt and shun it. I am in my fifties, Mama, I’ve never wanted any of that. The only reason I would have done it was to please you and -”

She got up and came over, and pulled him into a hug. “You please me, everyday, my love. Your fussiness, your pretty purple and silver aura, your quietness. And I am sorry for how I have hurt you.”

He leaned into her faded scent. Just breathed in the sweet wood and lavender. “Mama?”

“Yes my dear?”

“I am sorry I don’t come to visit more.”

She pulled a bit away to cup his cheek. “Do you know how many psychics and therapists and sex workers I have talked with, to help me speak to you? And they all offer me the same advice, and I never take it.”

“I’m going to ignore you said sex workers.”

“Don’t worry, Merlin found them for me, so they are reputable.” She pressed her forehead to his. “Harry, they all tell me to listen to you. And I haven’t because darling, because well, didn’t you know I’m always right?”

He laughed a bit at that. “No crystal has cured you of that, hmm?”

“Darling, you know crystals are bullshit,” she snorted a bit. “But the pretense is nice. I like the feeling I get from their placebo effect. And maybe they work.”

“Maybe that is the weed.”

“Probably,” she smiled at him. “Darling, as you know, I didn’t handle your father’s death well.”

“I know.”

“But in my grief, I never let you grieve with me. Because we dealt with the hurt in such different ways. You are so him, and it made me ache.” She stood up. “I have a gift for you, then, as well.”

“What is that?”

She smiled at him. “Darling, I see you, I hear you. And fuck the name Hart. Let it die then. It had a good run.”

He laughed as a tear fell from his eye. “Just like that?”

“All the important decisions in my life have been, ‘just like that’. For you? It is an easy thing. I love you Harrison.”

“I love you too, Mama. I’ll come by more often.”

“No, you won’t darling, and that is fine, my love. I promise.”

Harry shook his head. “I’m going to come by more often.”

“I would enjoy your company. Now the cards said you were coming today, and that it was important, but this was not the important that matches the vibes the cards had. So what else is going on?”

“Merlin and I have a baby.” Harry winced - that was not the correct way to phrase it. “Not together, or apart, this is not our baby. We are minding it.”

“Roxy?”

Harry nodded. 

“But she only fucks alphas.”

“How do you know that?” Harry was a touch surprised, but quickly held up a hand. “Is the answer the sort that would give me a headache?”

“Likely,” she agreed. “This isn’t just something you failed to tell me about.”

Harry spilled the story of the last five days. “Merlin says his gut is screaming that we need to find this Eggsy.”

“The Webster gut is never wrong,” she nodded.

“I know. And he has some of his family’s people looking. But well, he isn’t the only one who knows people.” His mother knew a terrifying amount of people from all walks of life. 

She stood and swaned out of the room. Harry followed in her wake, as he had a good portion of his life. “Roberts,” she called. The butler appeared. “I am going out with Harry. Please go to the attic and get the rocking chair, and books sent along to the shop?”

“Of course.”

“I need to meet the baby,” she told Harry. One of her cars was brought around and they went to the tailors and she air kissed Andrew, and told him his aura was lovely that day. They went upstairs and it was quiet.

“Quiet is not good,” Harry was worried. “Henry is not quiet.” Then they heard the huge giggle. “Good lord, what was that?” 

“A laugh, darling. You might try it more, if the sound is so foreign to you.”

They went into the living room, and Harry froze. “Merlin! Why are you eating the baby?” He hurried over. “Get his toes out of your mouth. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Merlin just flipped him off as he looked over. “Araminta, you look fetching today.”

“Thank you, darling, but I am a bit peckish,” she said and sat next to him on the ground. “And the only thing that will satisfy is baby toes.” 

Harry watched in shock as his mother ate Henry’s feet as well. He made that noise again. “Mama!”

“I ate your toes, plenty, when you were this age.” She nommed them some more. “What a noodle muffin. He has Roxy’s eyes.”

“Aye,” Merlin agreed and Harry watched them both eat toes. 

“You don’t know where those feet have been,” Harry said.

“Harry, he can’t crawl yet, they’ve been right here,” Merlin pointed out. 

Henry reached for Araminta and she picked him up. He flopped against her, and almost purred. “How did you do that, Mama?”

“Henry is used to an omega scent, I think. I am not quite right, but better than you two.” She stroked his head. “Oh little one, your aura is so bright and shiny. Love just pours around you.”

Harry looked at her. “I’m sorry. You should have grandchildren to spoil.”

“I’ll start some charity work with children,” she dismissed. “And I’ll spoil this wee one. Not like Roxy’s parents will do it.” She sniffed a bit. “Such snobs. Really, they are the worst, and you should see how that man holds his dinner knife. Appalling.”

Harry wouldn’t laugh at that, but Merlin did a little. “He likes you. More than Harry. Guess it isn’t the gin smell that turns him off after all.”

“Merlin I am thinking four words very precisely in your direction,” Harry snapped. “Mama, we have Merlin’s ‘contacts’ looking into this. But, you have a good ear and eye. I want to show you the videos, this Eggsy sent along.”

Araminta easily stood with Henry and they went over to the computer. “Well isn’t your Da a very attractive man?” She cooed to Henry. “Such love. I’m going to do a reading for you two when I get home,” she told Henry. “My Victorian flowers deck will be perfect for you, little one.” She tilted her head. “Chav,” was all she said.

“We figured that out,” Harry said. It was fairly obvious.

“Yes but you can hear the specific inflections. And the walls there. That is council beige. But not high rise council beige. Those are a colder colour.”

“How?” Merlin asked.

“Charity work, weed dealer you provided,” she said. “Generally he delivers but he had the flu, I had Cook make him soup and I took it over.”

Harry closed his eyes. “Tell me you didn’t take the Bentley to a council flat.”

“Darling how guache, I took the cheap car, the Audi to fit in.” She gestured, and Harry turned on the other video. “One of the long blocks. Not a tower, listen to those steps in the background. The echo isn’t of interior hallways, exterior entrance.”

“How did you catch that? It is so quiet?” Merlin was clearly impressed.

“Mama had the best ear at the Royal Conservatory,” Harry said softly. “She could have been a concert pianist if -”

“Darling, I would choose your father and the life we had every time over the vague promise of that career. Besides I missed so many lessons for orgies.”

“Do not say orgies in front of Henry,” Merlin growled.

“Forget Henry, don’t mention orgies in front of me,” Harry growled as well.

She ignored them both and was watching Eggsy. “You need to find him Merlin.”

“I know, and the information you just gave me will help Brix a lot.”

“I have a bad feeling.”

“Me too.” Merlin agreed.

“Always said you were psychic, darling.”

“Araminta, I am not.”

“Whatever you say.” She kissed Henry’s head. “You two look dreadful. Go have a nap, I will squish the noodle muffin for an hour.”

“Thank you, Mama,” Harry said and headed to the bedroom. Merlin followed, and they both stripped to their pants and crawled into the bed. “She and I talked,” he told Merlin. “Thank you for taking such good care of her.”

“What best friends do,” Merlin replied and kissed his cheek. He was asleep not even a minute later.

Harry didn’t have his mother’s sense of people, or Merlin’s ‘Webster gut’ but he too had the sense that they needed to find the omega soon. He head a wail and started to get up. Henry needed them, but Merlin’s hand clamped around his wrist.

“You are a gin soaked fusspot drama llama,” Merlin said.

“Thank you?” He was fairly certain it was an insult, but thanking Merlin would throw him off a bit.

“But you are a good man, with a huge heart. And that is why you don’t want to share it more than you do. Because it just hurts. And I get that. Always have, always will.”

“I don’t understand,” Harry said after a moment.

“You are already going into protect mode for Henry. Like you do for me, for Roxy. For your mother. He is worming his way into that corner you open for us.” Merlin pulled him close, but didn’t wrap arms around him, just leaned in a bit, so Harry could easily move away. “And he is crying, so you want to go, even though you don’t particularly like all the sticky that comes with him. And the noise.”

“Okay?” Harry was still a bit lost.

“I take the piss, Harry, but you are a good man. And she is the reason for a lot of that. So trust her, Henry will be fine. Rest.”

“She is going to paint flowers on him.” There were many photos of him as a baby covered in flowers she had painted on him.

“We have bathtubs. You did good, today, Harry. Now rest.”

Harry heard the crying rise again, and yes he did want to go protect Henry. But Henry was with his mother. His loopy, hippie, confounding mother. Henry was going to be fine. He relaxed into the bed and drifted off. When they woke up, there was only one flower painted on Henry’s cheek which Harry counted as a win.


	7. Chapter 7

Eggsy was really confused. He hadn’t been able to pop by Kingsman a lot, just a couple times. He was aching down to his soul. Almost a week without Henry. And he was starting to think he’d never get square with Dean. He had helped out with a few more jobs, but Dean wasn’t exactly being generous with how much he said that Eggsy had paid off. Bit here, bit there - he was keeping his word but a liberal interpretation of it.

Eggsy was going to have to come up with something, because Dean weren’t going to let him go, he could see that clearly enough. But right now there was something else that was a larger concern. The puzzling thing was he hadn’t seen Roxy at all when he had lurked outside Kingsman trying to get a glimpse of Henry. He didn’t really remember what she looked like first hand, they had been pretty damn drunk, but her face was plastered all over the web page.

And unless things had radically changed where the petite female alpha had somehow changed into a middle aged, bald, wee bit terrifying looking alpha, then Roxy wasn’t looking after her kid. Other people were. Which he couldn’t understand. Because if it weren’t her, they should have absolutely called the filth. No one just took in a baby that wasn’t theirs. Here though was said slightly terrifying bald man, with Henry strapped in a high end bjorn and out for a stroll.

Henry looked good. Happy. In a bit of a weird sun hat, but at least they knew to put a hat on him. He froze when he heard Henry shout and try to look around. He was across the block, too far for Henry to scent, but he stepped into the shadows more just in case. The man had a protective hand around Henry. Eggsy appreciated that. Once they were clear of the shop, Eggsy darted across the street. He looked in the windows and no one was in there at the moment. He opened the door carefully, and the bell didn’t ring, but he heard steps and threw the rucksack in and hurried away.

Wasn’t much, and he should have brought more before this, but some more clothes, a can of formula, another thumb drive, it was better than nothing. Eggsy checked his phone and swore. He had three messages from Dean saying that he was needed. No hint of the job though. He was getting angrier the longer Mum and Daisy were away, and Eggsy had taken to spending as much time at Jamal’s as he could. He headed back to his part of town, and met the gang at the Black Prince.

He listened to Dean’s orders, and it was straightforward enough. Lookout wasn’t the worst job, 

But that also meant he wasn’t going to be paying off much tonight. Sure enough after the job, Dean took a measly 200 hundred quid off his debt and when Eggsy complained, Dean hit him with a vicious back hand. He had debated hitting back but the whole crew was watching, and Dean would have to make an example of him. Couldn’t get his Henry if he was dead, so he took the hit and played broken. Even managed to eek out a few tears, smell contrite. Not like those morons could tell the difference between a true and forced scent.

He crashed at Jamal’s.

“Eggsy, what if you just got Henry and ran?” Jamal asked.

Eggsy shook his head. “And have him take it out on Mum when she gets back with Daisy? Can’t do that.”

“Eggsy, not sure you have the luxury of being a good man, not right now.”

“All I got, innit?” Eggsy took the bag of frozen peas off his cheek. “Thanks, bruv.”

Jamal put them back in the freezer. “Course mate.”

Eggsy spent the morning doing a couple favours for people on the block, who slipped him a bit of cash, and Mrs. Stilinski had made Henry a blanket with elephant fabric. He went back to the flat and Dean was talking with someone. Eggsy didn’t recognize him, but fuck if he didn’t just radiate power, the way that Dean wished he did. “Lo,” Eggsy said. He started to head to his room, knowing Dean didn’t like company when he was talking business.

“No, Muggsy, wait. Want you to meet this bloke,” Dean was smiling, and cheerful, which only meant trouble. “Good for you to know your betters.”

“Oh, I’m hardly anyone’s better,” the man demurred. He had no scent. But not the nothing of a rare beta, this was the nothing of chemicals. That was interesting information and he tucked it under his hat so to speak. “But I am always interested in meeting interesting people. And Mr. Baker here suggested you are interesting.”

Fuck the guy had the read on Dean, had him preening at being called mister. Made Dean feel equal to the man, though Eggsy could see easily enough there was no such equality.

“Muggsy, this is Brixton, a man who finds whatever is lost. Or helping things get lost if they need to be. Mr. Brixton, this is my stepson, Eggsy.”

“Please, Mr. Baker, call me Brix. Interesting nickname. I once know a Bacony.”

Dean laughed hysterically at the joke, and in doing so missed the way that Brix was looking at Eggsy. Eggsy didn’t though. He wondered if he was a lost thing, or a thing that Brix was going to make become lost. “Fuck all the rumours about you, never said you had a sense of humour.”

“That is the sort of thing a man keeps secret,” Brix said politely. “But Mr. Baker, you and your crew are getting a growing reputation, and thought I’d meet you. While I don’t need your assistance today, I thought putting us on square footing for a future association would not be amiss.”

“Not at all, not at all,” Dean agreed. “Be a right honour it would to aid you in a job, guv.”

“Excellent. Always good to have the ear of interesting people. I’ll take my leave. A pleasure.” Eggsy watched them shake hands and Brix left.

“Tail him a bit, Muggsy. See if in fact he was a doing a job on me for someone else.”

“Sure, Dean.” Eggsy waited another moment and then headed out. Brix didn’t make it particularly hard to follow him. And Eggsy swore he paused a couple times to make sure that Eggsy didn’t lose sight of him. Eventually the man went into an old record shop and sat behind the counter. Place was called Albums of Brixton, so he guessed that was the man’s cover. He decided fuck it and went in. There were a couple customers, and he pretended to flip through the stacks. When the shop was empty, but for the two of them, Eggsy went and flipped the sign. “You weren’t there for Dean. You were there for me.”

“I’m sorry?”

Eggsy could only think of one reason why anyone would be looking for him. “Roxy planning to off me, to keep Henry?” He jutted out his jaw. “I’ll fuck you up before I let that happen.”

“I just find things, I don’t partake in violence,” the man said. “And I cannot say who hired me, that would be ungentlemanly.”

“Did you find me?”

“I did,” Brix replied.

“So what happens now?”

“Now, you return before Dean gets suspicious.” Brix smiled. “You, interested interesting people. Isn’t that interesting?”

“Not really,” Eggsy said. He left the store, thoroughly unsettled by the man. He made it home and told Dean he hadn’t seen Brix talking to anyone. That night the whole gang was impressed that Brix might work with them, meant they were becoming known, becoming important. Dean was actually in a good mood.

It shattered the next afternoon, when the call from Michelle came. Eggsy had been showering, and just thrown on trackies when he heard Dean screaming. Fuck that wasn’t good. When he heard something smash it was even less good. If he could make it to his and Mum’s room, he could get out their window. But Dean saw him, and Eggsy found himself being dragged into the living room, shoulder dislocated with the strength of Dean’s grip.

The man was in a full alpha rage, screaming incoherently, and Eggsy was more scared than he ever remembered being. Dean threw him down, and Eggsy bolted for the door, but a glass shattered on the back of his head. He didn’t try to overpower Dean. He was a decent brawler but no way could he take him out in that moment. Instead he fought just enough to break free, and kept going for the door. Three or four times, Dean pulled him back. Eggsy was bruised, bloodied, and he was sure he had broken bones.

But he couldn’t die.

Not without seeing Henry again.

Eggsy felt his instincts rising to meet Dean’s, every bit of him going feral, caring about nothing except survival. He clawed and bit, kicked out with both feet in a pantomime of an old gymnastics move, and that sent Dean flying. This time he actually made it to the door and got it open. He screamed for Jamal. Most people on the block would have ignored what they were hearing from the flat, but not Jamal, not if he was home. He headed towards Jamal’s flat, he thought. Maybe. Everything was a little bit woozy from the blows to the head. He was stumbling and heard a sound behind him. 

Eggsy was pretty sure he was dead at that point. He wished he knew what had set Dean off. He collapsed and curled into a ball, tried to protect himself as best he could. The first kick lit his back on fire, and the second bounced his battered head against the concrete, and he was almost thankful to black out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> story will update again in a couple weeks. thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

He could smell Henry. Eggsy tried to open his eyes, but it hurt so much. Eventually only one would open, almost. He tried to look around, but everything hurt so fucking much. Only he realized it didn’t. It should hurt. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he should be alive, but there wasn’t pain. He tilted his head a bit and saw the i.v. bag. That would do it, he thought. He could smell a hospital, and cologne. Alphas.

And Henry.

“Henry,” his voice didn’t sound like his. Raw, wrong. He wondered just how much he had been screaming when Dean tried to kill him. He heard babbling and tried to turn his head, but it was so much work.

“Here,” a voice said. Sounds a bit funny. Not like what he was used to, but not odd. Thinking was a bit hard, and all the functioning brain cells he had were taken up by his son. People moved about and then the bald guy, the one who had had Henry in a thingie was there.

And so was Henry.

A tear slid out of the eye that barely opened. Henry was asleep, plain dummy in his mouth.

“Where’s his moustache?” Eggsy asked. “His favourite.”

“Harry felt it a touch…”

“Harry felt it a touch appalling,” a voice behind him said. Eggsy couldn’t help but tense. 

“Sightlines, Harry,” the bald guy said. Eggsy was relieved when he heard a person move and was sitting beside bald guy. 

“Pretty.”

“Thank you, I’m not interested though.”

Eggsy snorted, and the pain meds weren’t able to overcome how that felt. “Neither am I. Just the meds yeah?” He looked at Henry. “Hiya, Sprocket.”

“He has missed you dreadfully,” bald guy said.

“I missed him so much too,” Eggsy replied. He reached out, and it was then noticed the cast on his arm. “How?”

“How what?” the other man asked.

“How any of it?” Eggsy asked, eyes never leaving Henry. Bald guy eased Henry onto the hospital bed, and Henry wiggled and began to smile in his sleep. Eggsy ran a finger over his pale hair. “So perfect, Sprocket.”

“I have seen what comes out of him, there is no land where he can be called perfect.”

“Forgive, Harry, he is a fussbudget.” Bald guy sat back in his chair. “I am Merlin Webster, and this is Harry Hart. He owns Kingsman Tailors, and I am his business manager. Roxy Henry’s alpha parent, works for us.”

“Seen the web page.”

“Roxy is in America,” Harry explained. “She returns in a couple days. We have been taking care of Henry.”

Eggsy looked at them in shock. “Why?”

“Because it was the right thing to do,” Merlin replied. “I don’t think we have emotionally scarred your son for life. Probably. The first couple of days were rough.”

“Why didn’t you call the filth?”

“Because of your letter,” Harry said.

“Because fuck the police,” Merlin replied.

“You are starting to sound more like a Webster and it is concerning.”

“Trust me, I am frightened as well,” Merlin shot back.

Eggsy ignored the banter in favour of watching Henry breathe. “I had to put him somewhere safe, where my stepda wouldn’t find him. Thought, well alphas are supposed to be all grr about their kids, protective and shit. Hoped it would count for a kid they never met.” Eggsy looked at them. “But why are you here?”

“We hired Brix,” Merlin said. “My gut said waiting for you to come back was a poor idea, and my gut is never wrong. And no Harry, spice levels for curry don’t count.”

“You two are cute together,” Eggsy said.

“We aren’t a couple,” they said at the same time.

Eggsy would have laughed, but he knew it would hurt too much. “Sure.”

“We are best friends, shield mates. But not together,” Harry told him. “Brix found you and he had someone in the estate keeping an eye on you. You should know, you are lucky in your friend Jamal. Not many would take on an alpha in a full rage, but he went at Dean with a crow bar, got him away from you, got you into his flat and called for aid. Dean has been arrested on attempted murder charges.”

“Oh.” Eggsy didn’t know how he felt about that. He supposed he’d figure that out later. “How bad am I?”

“The official diagnosis is completely fucked up,” Merlin said. “Concussion, thirty plus stitches over your body, broken arm, three cracked ribs, sprained ankle, broken toes, be easier to catalogue where you aren’t bruised than where you are, and vocal chords a wee bit fried from screaming.”

Eggsy looked at Henry. “What am I going to do?” he whispered. He couldn’t take care of Henry in the state he was in, Roxy wasn’t in the country and he couldn’t ask these two strangers for more after everything they had already given.

“Well, you are coming home with us,” Harry huffed. “You are not taking Henry back to a council estate. One that is a crime scene now.”

“Nothing fucking wrong with the block,” Eggsy tried to snap and began to cough, the raised voice setting his throat on fire. Henry fussed a bit and Eggsy hummed a little, not capable of more, but it and the warmth of Eggsy was enough to soothe Henry.

“Really, nothing wrong with the block where your stepfather tried to cave your head in? Where according to Brix you were leading a life of crime? What type of example would that be for Henry.”

“Harry, my family barring myself, a man in 1723, and great great aunt Eugenie have been criminals since we sold fake reliquaries to people during the second bloody crusade. And I turned out fine.”

“That is truly debatable,” Harry replied.

“I was doing it to make sure Henry never had to,” Eggsy said. “Was going to get him out, get him better.”

“And then, that is what you will do, starting by coming to the flat where we have been taking care of Henry, as soon as they release you.”

“How’d they even let you in here?”

“Oh, yes well, I lied and said I was your father. And since one of the floors in this place is named after my grandmother, they decided not to ask too many questions.” Harry flushed a little. “A bit of a fib.”

“Technically a touch illegal, Harry,” Merlin pointed out.

“Do be quiet.”

Eggsy looked at the two of them. “You two sure you ain’t together? Seen weirder.”

“No,” Merlin said. “Love comes in many forms. And ours isn’t of that particular nature.”

Eggsy could see the sincerity pouring off the guy. “I don’t want to be any more bother for you.”

“You haven’t met my mother,” Harry said dryly. “Trust me, a criminal chav recovering from injuries and his child with our social media manager are hardly a bother.”

“Just until I’m better then,” Eggsy swore. “And I’ll get out of your hair.”

“Easy to do since he has none,” Harry said.

“Harry, I will tell your mother that you have a secret need for your tea leaves read. Daily.”

Eggsy could not make heads or tails of them, but he was exhausted. “Can you take Henry? Don’t like sleeping next to him, always scared I’ll roll over, squish him.” He watched Merlin gently pick him up. “He been good for you?”

“He has,” Merlin promised. Eggsy smiled at the way Harry snorted at that. “He has been what my research indicates is a standard baby.”

“My sprocket is far above standard,” Eggsy said and stared at Henry until the drugs kicked in and everything just faded away.


	9. Chapter 9

“Da, what was Mama’s tincture for bruises?” Merlin asked after his father answered the phone, “Always cleared you up after a mark beat you up.”

“Witch Hazel, whisky, aloe mixed and chilled.”

“Are you sure the whisky wasn’t just poured down your throat?”

“No couple drops in the mix,” his Da swore. “Why?”

“Long explanation,” Merlin replied.

“I’ve got time. Tell me your troubles son.”

“Brix already gave you a run down, didn’t he?” Merlin sighed. He checked on Eggsy who was sleeping again. But it was the best thing for him.

“Aye, how is the lad?”

“Very hurt.” Merlin looked at Eggsy who was drooling a little and closed the door. He went back to the living room, and Henry was just waking up. He put the phone on speaker and picked Henry up, changed him, and moved the elephant in front of his face. “It will be weeks of recovery, and he seems to have no one.”

“Well, that is not exactly the truth,” his Da said.

“What did Brix find out?” 

“Has a mum and half sister. They were what set that man off. Seems the vacation they took was actually getting away from the alpha. She called to say they were never coming back. Sent the alpha into an abandonment rage. Your boy there got in the way.”

Merlin was quiet for a moment. “She sacrificed her son to get away?”

“The half sister is 3. She was likely thinking your boy being an adult could take care of himself. A toddler cannot.”

Merlin thought of the five page medical report. “She better stay far away,” Merlin growled. Henry made a face and Merlin smoothed his features, danced about the elephant stuffie a bit more.

“Now isn’t that an interesting noise?” 

“It is just a noise,” Merlin replied. “You learn anything else?”

“This Eggsy is a criminal, but not by choice. Clever, better rep than most of Baker’s crew. Brilliant driver from all accounts. Too few of those in the family.”

“Da, Eggsy is just a lad we are helping out. Don’t get attached.” Christ the last thing they needed in the family was a wheel man. His da would steal Eggsy and Henry away in a second, and be unstoppable. 

“Of course, of course. Kiss my grandson for me. Bye.” He hung up before Merlin could correct him.

Merlin huffed a bit, and smiled when Henry tried to copy the noise. “Clever boy,” he said and picked Henry up. They went to the kitchen and he got a fruit pouch for Henry, put the kettle on for himself. “Pear and spinach combo today,” he said cheerfully. A few attempts later, he switched back to the mixed fruit with kale. “I don’t like pears much either,” he said and wiped the mess off of Henry’s face. There had been enough flung on his shirt that he took that off as well. 

He drank tea and fed Henry, but Henry was a bit distracted, looking around for Eggsy. “Your da is asleep, but I think maybe you’d at least like to see him. So a peek in, but we be quiet, okay?” He smiled at the way Henry babbled nonsense at the word da. He picked Henry up who snuggled in; the baby loved skin to skin contact.

Merlin opened the door and Eggsy was still fast asleep. “There is your da, Henry. All messed up, we’re going to have to fix that.” Henry was reaching for Eggsy. “He needs his sleep. Once he is awake he will be all yours, okay?”

Merlin closed the door, and took Henry back to the living room, and it was clear that he was about to wail bloody murder, but Merlin was prepared. He quickly went to the cupboard and opened it. They had kept an emergency distraction in there, and he pulled it out.

Merlin rather enjoyed the way that Henry’s mouth just dropped open in shock. “Oh,” Merlin would swear forever that Henry distinctly said that. Merlin sat on the ground, Henry between his legs, being up against his stomach and plopped the stuffie elephant in front of Henry. It was about one and a half times the size of Henry himself. Henry immediately lurched his whole body forward and collapsed against the stuffie and Merlin had to bite back a laugh that would have been way too loud. He picked Henry up, only for the boy to fling himself back to the stuffie. “Well then, I see you are fast friends.” He moved Henry so that he could enjoy tummy time next to his new compatriot, and texted Harry the shopping list for his mother’s salve. They needed everything but the whisky. He grabbed his laptop and did a little work, keeping an eye on Henry, but Henry was too mesmerized by the stuffie to care about much.

“Henry?” Eggsy called from the other room, and Henry squealed. Merlin picked Henry up, and also the stuffie when Henry kept reaching for it. Merlin went and opened the door. Eggsy was struggling to sit up. “Fuck,” Eggsy groaned. “I need to take a piss.”

“We have a bedpan,” Merlin offered.

“Nope.”

“You can’t walk really yet.”

“Then I’ll fucking crawl,” Eggsy glared at him. 

Merlin rolled his eyes. He put Henry down on the ground and put the elephant in front of him. Henry immediately flopped onto it. Merlin went to the bed and picked Eggsy up. “Fine then,” he said and groaned. “Fuck need to work the arms out more.” He carried Eggsy across the way, kicked the lid of the toilet up and as he put Eggsy down, had his very loose pajamas bottoms down to his thighs. “There piss, call me when you are done.” Merlin went into the hall so that Henry was in his sight lines and he could hear Eggsy. Henry was still flopped on the elephant and drooling happily. 

“Done?” Eggsy called. Merlin went and he was still sitting there. “I don’t know if I can get up.” He reached behind himself and flushed. He was red with frustration, humiliation, the exertion of getting up, Merlin couldn’t quite tell. 

“If I was an asshole, I’d mention that the bedpan really would have been easier.”

“Asshole.”

Merlin laughed a bit. “Ready?”

“No, but yeah,” Eggsy sighed. 

Merlin hoisted him up a bit, and pulled the bottoms up. He then carried Eggsy back to the bed. “You got fucked up good, you have to let your body heal.”

“Did you just swear in front of Henry?” Eggsy glared at him, and pinched hard. “You do not. His brain is absorbing words at an insane rate. Not having his first word be a foul one.”

“Lad, trust me, what he has heard the last few days a random fuck is nothing. Harry and I were once in the army. He in fact has heard Cock -”

“Nope.” Merlin was impressed at how hard Eggsy pinched him. “We say like Sweet Molly McGillicudy, or Darnit, or Holy Ginger Snaps.”

Merlin nodded and put Eggsy down on the bed. He picked Henry up and put him there as well. “Here you go, Henry. Your Da.” Merlin didn’t laugh as Henry looked incredibly torn between his father and the elephant. Merlin put the elephant on the bed as well. Henry collapsed against Eggsy and jammed the elephant ear in his mouth. “You need food.”

“Not hungry.”

“I’ll make you a loaded shake, should be easy to swallow.” Merlin left them be and threw a bunch of spinach, kale, banana, some berry, and protein powder into the blender with some yogurt and honey. He could hear Eggsy singing to Henry and smiled a bit. Eggsy did have an incredible voice. He poured the shake into reusable bottle with straw, and headed back. He stood in the doorway and watched them. Eggsy was a mess, there was no other word for it. But the eye that wasn’t swollen shut was just swimming with love. And Henry didn’t seem put off by the appearance of his father, was curled into him and looking at him with just as much awe. When the song tapered off, he moved forward.

“Drink some of this,” Merlin said and held out the cup. Eggsy was up against the headboard and took the cup with the unbroken arm. When he would have left, Henry held out his arms. “No, you can stay with your Da.” But Henry started to wobble that lip that meant screams were imminent. Merlin quickly sat on the bed. “I’m here, no need to fuss.”

“He’s got you wrapped around his finger, don’t he?” Eggsy laughed a bit, but it clearly hurt. “Not that he wouldn’t. Henry is a charmer, ain’t he?”

“He is loud, and charming,” Merlin said. “Drink, your body needs calories to heal.”

“Where’s Roxy?” Eggsy asked after another sip. 

“We told you, America.”

“You did?” 

Poor lad looked so confused. “You were on a lot of painkillers, plus concussion,” Merlin said, “Easy to have forgotten. She went radio silent a few days ago. On the pull.” Merlin winced. “I mean -” Oh fuck, Eggsy looked like he was about to cry. “I mean, not on the pull. She has only ever cared about a mysterious man that she met and has not been able to find. When she returns she will -” 

Eggsy snickered, “Like I give a ding dang doodle, bruv. She were a great one off, but not my general type. Eyes were watering because hit a bit of kale in the shake that wasn’t pureed, that stuff is rank.”

“You really don’t curse around, Henry,” Merlin was a bit in awe. 

“Try, anyways.” Eggsy was about half done the shake and clearly couldn’t do more. He put the cup on the beside table. “I remember you saying your hired Brix? How the fuck you manage that, the guy is legendary.”

“He owed my father a favour.”

“Who in the frizzle sizzle is your da? That Brix owed him a favour.”

“I said, my last name was Webster.” Merlin was curious if Eggsy would recognize it, being a criminal even if a reluctant one.

“Wait,” Eggsy was clearly trying to think. “I know that name. Dictionary. No, mythology. The fucking Websters stole the crown jewels!”

“Only like five of them,” Merlin muttered. “History has really exaggerated that moment. And I mean it was the Blitz, not even when it was a challenge. The time my great great great great grandfather stole the magna carta much more impressive.” Fuck, now he was bragging about his family. He watched Eggsy try to curl around Henry.

“You aren’t hurting my kid.”

“Clearly with the care I have given him the last few days. And point of fact, I am not a criminal.” Merlin paused, “I am 85% not a criminal. 12% morally grey, and 3% criminal. Also my family are thieves and conmen, the best grifters for 600 years. We aren’t thugs. Well, my ma was a bit, but you know, the line needs fresh blood occasionally.”

“You lot are like the best of the best,” Eggsy was looking at him in awe and fear.

“Again, they are the best of the best, I am a complete and utter disappointment,” Merlin replied. “My grandmother went to her grave not talking to me, sure I was changeling with how I mostly obey the law. My father lights candles at church every flippy floppy week to get me to see the light and use my fingers for good - stealing.”

“Aren’t we all just disappointments?” Eggsy said, with a bit of a laugh that held not a bit of humour in it. 

“Eggsy, you should rest.”

“Yeah, heal quicker, get going quicker. I know.”

Merlin frowned. “Eggsy, you and Henry aren’t going anywhere.”

“Sure we are, you just said, you want us gone as quick as possible.”

“No I said you should rest. We have no interest in kicking you out. You are here until you are healed, and you figure out what you want to do with your life now that you don’t have to worry about Dean or his crew again.”

“You said Dean had been pinched for doing all this, but his boys are -”

“I may have used my connections in law enforcement to arrange things. Shortest any of them will be in for is a nickel.”

“Did you just criminal up law enforcement?”

“Don’t tell my father, it will make him far too happy,” Merlin sighed. He really was breaking all sorts of his personal rules for Henry and Eggsy, it seemed. “You and Henry have a home here as long as it takes.”

“Why?”

“Alpha instinct to protect,” Merlin shrugged. “Henry worms his way into your heart.”

“It’s the toes.”

“They are very yummy.” Merlin scooped up Henry. “Time for more tummy time, while your da rests.”

“Merlin?”

“Aye?”

“Do you know what set Dean off?”

“No, I’m sorry, lad,” Merlin lied. That could wait until Eggsy was healed. “Come Henry, more tummy time, need to practice so your rolling doesn’t scare the crap out of you.”

“Oi,” Eggsy snapped but was clearly fading.

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Scare the poopsy whoopsy out of you.”

“Okay, nevermind, you can swear, that was just the most wrong thing ever.”

Merlin laughed and took Henry to play so that Eggsy could heal.


	10. Chapter 10

Eggsy was sure it was a con, there was no other thing it could be. He’d be asked to do something as soon as he was a bit more healed. No one ever just took care of a stranger like this. But they were treating Henry better than anyone but Eggsy and Jamal ever had. His mum had tried, but she was busy surviving and taking care of Daisy so she hadn’t exactly been grandmotherly. Also, she hated being a grandmother before 50.

Eggsy sits up in the bed they gave him and it hurts so fucking much, but the pain doesn’t make him pass out so he supposes that is a win. He looks at the clock and realizes he had lost several hours again to sleep. He knows that his body needs it, but he hates that he has Henry back and yet doesn’t. “Hello?” he calls out. He’d tried to get up but the trip to the bog earlier showed that wasn’t the best idea. “Old alphas?”

The one with hair came in with a tray. “We aren’t that old you know. Barely past 50.”

“My mum is 47.”

“We are in our prime, like aged whisky.” He put the tray down on the ground. “Now, do you need the facilities?”

“No, not right now, but am a bit hungry?”

“Hence the tray. Merlin had to go out, but left me the information about your day.”

“Did that wanker leave Henry alone?” Eggsy was ready to propel himself out of the room, find his son, and then find that fucker and kill him.

“No, of course not. How dare you suggest Merlin would do something like that?” 

“Because he’s a Webster aren’t he? They are -”

“People who love fiercely and protectively,” Harry cut in and Eggsy shrank a bit at the angry alpha. “Merlin just knows that I like lists and printed information. So he never was more than two metres away from Henry all day, who is currently asleep in his play yard. When I came up from work, he said the day was on the table, kissed my cheek, and went off to do whatever it is he needs to do.”

“You don’t know?”

“He’ll tell me or he won’t. Taking care of Henry has kept him a bit more cooped up than he cares for, but since Henry responds to him best, he’s been staying put. He’ll be back around dawn I am imagining.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Neither do I, but he doesn’t understand how I can cut and sew fabric for 8 hours a day and not get bored.” Harry picked up the tray. “Broth, protein shake, medicine.”

Eggsy winced as he adjusted a bit more against the headboard. “Thanks,” he said softly.

“It is nothing.”

“It isn’t, and as soon as I can move without pain, I’ll make it up to the two of you.” Eggsy smiled at Harry, a smile that usually got him what he wanted, though he knew he looked like shit. He figured the old bloke would get the hint. Only the guy kinda flinched. “What?”

“One does the right thing, because it is the right thing to do, not because of any expected payment.” He put the tray over Eggsy’s lap. “A gentleman always helps those in need.”

“What the fuck?” Eggsy stared at him in shock. “Bruv, you took good care of Henry, and aren’t ugly. Once I’m healed, no problem with you dicking me down or whatever.”

“I have a great deal of problem with that,” Harry replied.

“Because of the posh stick up your arse?”

“Because I dislike people in my space.”

“You said before that Merlin kissed you.”

“He’s Merlin, he isn’t people. I should say people like Merlin, my mother, Roxy, a couple of my other friends are allowed in my space, but I generally prefer alone and am uninterested in sex.”

Eggsy wondered why it looked like the man was bracing himself. “Oh, aro ace, cool. Sorry, my bad. No dicking for not ratting me out to the filth.” Eggsy shrugged and drank the shake. “You make this better than Merlin.”

“He always has the kale ratio off. His taste buds are a bit fucked from a blow to his head in Afghanistan,” Harry said, “Now, what did you say?”

“That you are aro ace,” Eggsy was watching him. “Or did I get that wrong?” He wondered why the man looked so flummoxed. 

“Excuse me a moment,” Harry pulled out his phone, and was typing quickly.

Eggsy ate and was pleased when he managed three quarters of everything. He took the medication on the tray as well. “Harry?”

“A moment.”

“Okay, but going to have to piss in about twenty,” Eggsy warned him.

“Yes and the letter from Merlin says you are stubborn about this.”

“Yeah, I am.”

“I am aro ace,” Harry looked at him, and smiled and fuck the guy was good looking, and the scent was nice that was coming from him. Eggsy didn’t particularly care about it, but hey wasn’t the vague cabbagey smell home always had, so he appreciated it. “Thank you, Eggsy.”

“You didn’t know that?”

“I knew who I was, but not that there was a description for it,” Harry’s smile was almost luminous. “To have that is a lovely thing, and ohh look there are flags. Though the colours aren’t quite me. Well, not like I was going to drape myself in them anyways. I have to tell Merlin. And Mama. Fuck, if I had know there was proper nomenclature, she might have gotten off my back about finding love years ago, instead of just days ago.” Harry took the tray and disappeared for a couple minutes. “Henry is starting to wiggle about. Let’s get your needs met and then you two can have time once he awakens.”

Eggsy survived the humiliation of the help with the bog. He was returned back to bed and he looked at Harry. “Why didn’t you turn me in? Like I get why Merlin didn’t, but why not you?”

Harry looked a little confused. “Because you loved him, and I couldn’t be a part of something that would break that love.”

“What about Roxy?”

“She is young like you, and hasn’t yet fully learned how truly grey the world is.”

Eggsy bit his lip. “She woulda called cops or child services.”

“Unless we could have convinced her differently.”

“Then I guess I am glad she were in America.” They both heard a wail. “Henry,” Eggsy said, wishing that he could get up and go get his son, but he just couldn’t manage it. And Eggsy shouldn’t enjoy the resignation of the man’s face, but it was a pretty damn cute vexxed look. 

“He is going to have soiled his nappy,” Harry groaned. “Well, I don’t actually mind too much right now, currently riding the high of what you have told me. Hello, Eggsy. I’m Harry Hart, and I’m an aro ace alpha. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Eggsy smiled at the old bloke. “Yeah, that’s pretty fucking wonderful.”

“My dear, the lack of fucking is the point.” 

Eggsy laughed. The guy was a bit of a nutter, but zero dangerous vibe off him. The medication was kicking in and he didn’t feel like rubbish. And he felt pretty damn good when Henry was brought in.

“I thought you might like to feed him,” Harry said, having a bottle and a puree pouch.

“Yeah.” Eggsy nodded, but then frowned, “He needs to sit up decently though for the puree.”

“I will go get the thing.”

“What thing, Henry?” Eggsy asked his son, and Henry just sort of squeaked and reached for his bottle. Eggsy gave him some and then Harry returned with one of those seats that Eggsy had seen but never bought. “Those are supposed to be a waste of money.”

“Yes, as of yet he hasn’t been impressed, but may work with you.”

Eggsy snickered when Henry screamed bloody murder when put in the weird sit your kid up thing. “Harry, just get on the bed and prop him up for me.” Once Harry had Henry in place, Eggsy fed him some puree. “This is name brand.”

“Of course. We did some research on the best.”

“They are made in the same factory, just a different label and a mark up for posh suckers.”

“No, the mommy blogs were quite clear.”

“You read mommy blogs.” Eggsy looked at Henry. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come back. Won’t have as good with me.” He honestly didn’t know if he was being snarky or meant it.

“Eggsy,” Harry chided. “You are a good father, and Henry is lucky to have you.”

“You have a good father, Harry?” Eggsy spooned a little more puree into Henry’s mouth and the third mouthful was spit back out. “He needs burping.” 

Harry put the flannel over his shoulder and Eggsy didn’t laugh at how the man seemed to have braced himself before lifting Henry to burp him. “I did. He was a very good man. Member of the House of Lords, managed the family money and estates well. Adored my mother. I never felt…” There was a tremendous burp. “I never felt like I had been born just to carry on the name, but because I was wanted. Which is good since Hart will end with me.”

“Could adopt or something?” Eggsy suggested. “How old the titles?”

“Mmmm, 400 or so years. Technically Merlin’s family’s reputation is longer held than my family’s. Though mine are at least public record. Do you know some of the exploits of Robin of Loxley - actually stories about Merlin’s family.”

“Shut up!” Eggsy felt his eyes widen. “No way.”

“That is the rumour.”

“Yours do anything that wicked?” Eggsy looked at him. “Or, like, just shitty posh people stuff?”

“A mix of shitty posh people stuff, and a great deal of charity work. We tend to fund research, pretty sure a few vaccines were created due to my family.”

“Cool. Henry hates his jabs, but we get them, don’t we?” Eggsy made faces at Henry and enjoyed the giggles. “Have they been eating your toes?”

“I certainly have not,” Harry said. “Babies are not food.”

“Best food ever.” Eggsy tried to bend over to nom toes, but the cracked ribs objected. “Flippity floopity sweet angellic booty toots.”

“I…” Harry looked at Henry. “I feel your brain will be more warped by those words than the actual curse words.” He made Henry sort of nod. “See, he agrees with me.”

“I’m going to be laid up for days, and hurting for weeks, and all I want is to take care of my son and eat his toes.” Eggsy wouldn’t fucking cry, even if he could pretend it was due to the pain. He wasn’t weak. He closed his eyes and took slow breaths until he felt his emotions under control, the pain lessening. 

And Henry kicked him in the face.

Eggsy opened his eyes, and Harry was there holding Henry, dangling him. Eggsy kissed Henry’s toes, and smiled at the giggle that erupted. He blew a rasberry and the sound grew louder. 

“There we go.” Harry lowered Henry down a bit. “You are going to be laid up, but you have help.”

“I could call Jamal,” Eggsy said. “His family would take us in.”

“Would you have as much space and help as we can provide?”

“No, they’re busy as hell, but Jamal has my back. Best mate ever.”

“Ahh, our apologies for not calling your -”

Eggsy laughed so hard the ribs hurt again. “Best friend, we ain’t ‘mates’ mates.”

“Well, perhaps if your flat is cleared by the police, Jamal could collect some of yours and Henry’s things and bring them here? We’d be happy to have his company.”

“Two council boys in your shop, what will the neighbours think?”

“I am Harrison Hart, the neighbours don’t think anything of me, but awe and envy.”

The look Harry gave, the scent that came off him, Eggsy could well believe it. “Thanks.”

“It is nothing, but you need more rest.”

“No, I don’t,” Eggsy protested, though he was exhausted again.

“Tomorrow we shall see about letting you spend a spell of time in the living room. Though I have a morning with clients, and Merlin will need to sleep.”

“I wish I could manage Henry alone, but I don’t think that I can,” Eggsy had to admit. He hated that he had to admit that. “And I’d call Jamal but he works mornings mostly.”

“I have a solution. Henry has already met her, and they seemed to get along well.”

He wondered why Harry looked a bit ill at the thought. “Harry? If you hired a nanny service or something, it is okay, get that this woulda been rough on you guys.”

“No. Well she might be busy anyways. We’ll sort it out. You just sleep now. Henry, come along, we are going to work on your alphabet.”

Eggsy smiled at the babble Henry did, recognizing the word alphabet. “He has a sesame street book he loves.”

“I purchased a dinosaur one, he likes the latin.”

“Of course you did,” Eggsy said. He had known the man not even two days and that just seemed to fit. “I don’t suppose there is a laptop I could have, watch some netflix?”

“There are seven laptops in the flat, I will bring you one.”

“Seven?”

“Merlin finds electronics amusing. He does...things with them.”

“I probably shouldn’t ask about those things right?”

“Probably not,” Harry admitted. He left and returned with a laptop, logged Eggsy in, and then he and Henry left. Eggsy was annoyed by not having more Henry time, but he fell asleep 20 minutes into a John Mulaney special.

He woke to singing. A woman’s voice, the woman from the nanny service must have been available. But that meant no Harry or Merlin to help him to the bog. He saw that a cane had been left and that would help. It was agony but he made it to the bathroom. When he opened the door, a woman was standing there. 

She looked pretty cuddly, and smelled nice. “Hiya,” he said.

“Are you supposed to be up alone?”

“Probably not,” Eggsy said, “But if I stay in that bed, I will lose it.”

“Let me help you to the couch in the sitting room,” she said. “I can then make you tea, and give you your medication.”

“You are a goddess,” Eggsy declared.

“The Maharajah I had a torrid affair with two years ago, said similar,” she smiled at him. “Your aura is just lovely darling.”

“Thank you?” Eggsy looked at her. She was in impeccable trousers and a soft sweater. Neither looked fancy except the fabric was so soft under his fingers, and that soft meant expensive.  Also the half a dozen rings on her hands were probably worth in the six figures easily. He thought maybe he had seen one of them in a magazine. And he was pretty sure the emeralds at her ears were not fake.

“Troubled, in pain, but the good and the loyal just want to shine. We’ll cleanse your aura, and you’ll feel so much better.”

“Thanks?” Eggsy looked at her. “Bit odd for a service nanny, yeah?”

“I am Harry’s mother, Lady Hart.”

“Harry has fucking titles?”

“Hmmm, but he dislikes them and insists that he just be referred to as Mr. Hart. He is quite of the people you know. Fully rejected his seat in the House of Lords, which honestly was a good call, those men just have the worst auras. Also, just appalling taste in gin.”

Eggsy laughed a bit. “Yeah, you fit as his mum.” 

Araminta laughed in return, “Oh my dear, how he would loathe you saying that. I am his great cross to bear in life.”

“Think you’ve been usurped by my Henry,” Eggsy replied. They made it to the living room and Eggsy blinked. “It exploded a baby shop in here.” He had expected the play yard and a few other things, but there was an activity centre thingy, and a high chair, and an exo saucer, stuffies just everywhere. There was even a cheerful poster of happy cartoon elephants on the wall.

“A Picasso I had bought him for his 30th birthday used to hang there.”

“Honestly elephants are better than a Picasso print any day,” Eggsy said. He eased slowly down onto the couch and was relieved it was pretty firm. 

“Hmmm, yes he loaned it to the Tate Modern for right now,” she replied. “Hate that museum, but a wing name after Mummy, so we loan it art regularly.”

Eggsy felt a bit faint. “He gave away a real Picasso to put up Ellie the elephant, for a kid dropped off on his doorstep.” He looked at her. “Ma’am, why?”

“Darling, please call my Araminta.” She leaned into the play yard and picked Henry up. “You, sir, of course will call me...oh dear, what do I want him to call me? The cards will know.” She carefully put Henry on Eggsy’s lap and went down the hall, grabbed her Birkin bag.

Eggsy looked at Henry who was looking back. “Hey, want a song?” he asked and Henry babbled and shook. Eggsy started singing to his son, because it was easier than thinking about a stranger getting rid of a fucking Picasso to put up a silly poster.

Araminta hummed along, and he smiled a bit. “You know this song?” Eggsy asked.

“Yes, Joe Strummer was a good man.”

“Fuck, you knew Strummer? He was a god.”

“He was rubbish at poker.”

“Ma’am who the fuck are you?”

“Lady Araminta Hart, and according to the cards, Henry should call me Nana when he can speak. Lovely. I like that.”

“Once I’m healed, ma’am, we won’t be taking advantage of you lot anymore,” Eggsy said.

“Oh, sweet one,” Araminta chuckled. “The cards told me about you a while ago. Well not you, you, they can be vague. Just that change was coming, and so much love. I thought maybe for Harrison, but he isn’t meant for romantic love. And they kept emphasizing Merlin, and great change. It kept pulling cards that meant family, growth. You need family. And here we all are.”

“I have my mum and sister.” Eggsy had to point out.

“Excuse me for not caring about a woman who abandoned her son and grandson.”

Eggsy froze, “Huh?”

Araminta blinked. “They didn’t tell you. Fuck.” She smiled. “I need to make his bottle.”

“No, just tell me.” Eggsy held Henry. “Just say it.”

“Your mother called Dean, said they weren’t coming back. Ever.”

Eggsy processed the words. “And that set the rage on him.”

“It did.”

Eggsy nodded. “She had to save my sister. It is fine.” He blinked to make sure the tear didn’t fall. “All good.”

Araminta cupped his face. “No, it isn’t. But it speaks to your character that you say such. I am so proud to be Henry’s Nana.”

“You don’t have to do that. I know I’m nothing.”

“Darling, my cards never lie. You are very much. You’ll see. Let me go make that bottle.”

When she was gone, Eggsy let the tear fall and wiped it away. Henry patted a hand against his stomach and Eggsy began to sing again. No one meant it about keeping him, making him family.  They couldn’t; all his own family abandoned him, why would these posh folk care? He sang and cried and Henry started to fuss a bit, confused. “Sorry, sprocket,” Eggsy whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“Here is the bottle,” Araminta was quiet when she came back.

Eggsy flinched when she sat next to him. He held the bottle to Henry’s mouth and smiled a bit when Henry started to guzzle. “He’s never going to feel unwanted.” A hand brushed through his hair. A soft touch, a mum touch. He couldn’t remember the last time his own mum had touched him like that. She smelled nice. Well, she smelled like a bunch of things, and he did have to point something out because of those smells. “No weed around Henry.”

“That sensitive a nose hmm?” Eggsy just shrugged. “I hear music in my head, I sometimes smoke a joint at night, to stop it from being so loud. I would never, I will never babysit my beautiful grandson when high.” 

“Not your grandson,” Eggsy reminded her.

“Oh, darling, I’ve spoken it into the world, brought it into being. I’m his Nana.” Eggsy was very still when she kissed his forehead. “Young one, you are safe here.”

“I know Henry is safe,” Eggsy said.

“I didn’t mean him.” She stood up. “Now, then. I have many volunteer hours logged in, how would a bit of a bath feel?”

“Heaven, but cast and stuff.”

“We’ll figured something out,” she promised.

Eggsy wasn’t surprised when she did just that. 


End file.
